The End of the Secret
by lilyun
Summary: Sequel to 2 am. The moment we've all been waiting for. Caroline finds out about Hayley's pregnancy-but not from Klaus. Hurt and betrayed, she goes to New Orleans to demand answers from the hybrid who claims to love her but conveniently neglected to tell her about this latest development in his life. Klaroline fluff. Plain and simple.
1. Chapter 1

Caroline swirled the straw in her drink and stared down at her blank phone screen. Where was that hybrid boyfriend of hers? It'd been his idea to meet at the Grill for lunch and now he was a no-show. Calling him was out of the question. She'd already left him three messages and he complained constantly that she all she did was nag when they were together. Every time they made plans lately, Tyler was either late or ended up canceling–after she'd already gotten to wherever it was they agreed to meet. On campus, off campus, he was never where he said he was going to be. Part of her was afraid it was another girl. Another part hoped it was. It would be so much simpler if she could explain away the growing distance between them on some slut. She would be a slut, too. Apart from herself, Tyler had the worst taste in women.

"I'm so tired of him doing this. He was the one who wanted to come home this weekend." Caroline rubbed at her temples as she felt a headache coming on. Across from her, Elena shrugged and took an exaggerated sip from her own drink.

"He'll be here. Call him again if you're so worried."

"And hear again how I'm the most nagging girlfriend ever? No thanks." Caroline crossed her arms and scanned the Grill's inhabitants for the hundredth time but she still didn't see Tyler anywhere. The Grill was unusually crowded for the middle of a Saturday. They'd been lucky to even find a table and Tyler was almost an hour late. Elena didn't mind fielding the glares sent their way for hogging the table; she never turned down any excuse to use her vamp powers in public. There was always going to be a part of the shut-off Elena in the emotions-on Elena. Caroline had given up being upset by it.

"I'm going outside to look for him. If he calls, tell him he's going to wish he had to turn at every full moon again after I get through with him."

"Harsh, Caroline. The last thing I want to do is field your calls from Tyler," Elena said, holding out her hand for Caroline's phone.

"You owe me for talking to Damon while you were on a blood run."

"Don't remind me."

"Thanks." Caroline slammed the phone down onto Elena's hand with a bit more force than was necessary. A perverse part of her enjoyed seeing her wince slightly with the impact. Weaving her way through the tables, Caroline left the Grill in search of Tyler. Elena took another sip from her drink and set Caroline's phone off to the side. She wasn't sure who was more tired of Caroline and Tyler's drama, herself or Caroline. The first few months Tyler had been back from his Klaus-imposed exile everything had been disgustingly wonderful between them but now...no one wanted to be around them when they were together.

Caroline's phone emitted a noise Elena didn't recognize–it wasn't her ring tone or her usual text notification–and she picked it up, resting her chin in one hand as she stared down at the screen. It was a picture. She squinted down at the screen. A picture of a tiny table, covered by a dingy tablecloth, in an even dingier poorly lit room with tarot cards spread across it. The phone emitted the noise again and another picture appeared and Elena almost dropped it.

The same tiny table, the same dingy tablecloth, the same dark room but _Klaus_ sat in the chair that had been empty before. Klaus.

"Caroline, you are so busted." Elena smiled to herself as the phone emitted its "Klaus" notification four more times as he sent her pictures of each of his tarot cards. There was one last picture of a grumpy looking fortune teller sitting next to Klaus, but Elena only gave it a glance. How many pictures did Caroline have on here? Was she having some kind of...picture sharing relationship with Klaus? Was that even a thing?

Elena scrolled through the pictures and stopped counting once she passed ten. They were just pictures and most of them didn't make sense to her. Restaurants, café tables. Their dorm room?! Really, Caroline? And those shoes she'd bought and talked herself into returning. Tyler in a dress. Elena giggled. No matter how many times she saw it, it was still funny. God, he was an ugly woman. Elijah? With a drawn on _moustache? _She hadn't thought any of the Originals had a sense of humor. Klaus' house in Mystic Falls with a For Sale sign that hadn't been there today when they drove by on the way to the Grill. Caroline had told her some story about there being a tenant there now, supposedly that she'd heard about from her mom, but it didn't look like Klaus had told her. Only a handful of pictures had any words attached to them.

Why had she kept them? Why had she sent pictures back to him? Tyler would _kill _her if he knew about it. Elena's smile deepened and she clutched the phone in her hand and gestured for their waitress to bring her another drink. Klaus' continued fixation with Caroline had just become a weapon she could wield. Someday she would really have to thank him.

Outside the Grill, Caroline didn't see any sign of Tyler. She knew she wouldn't, she just couldn't stand being inside any longer with Elena and her judgy-pity filled eyes. Everyone was tired of her drama with Tyler. _She_ was tired of it, but there wasn't any other way to act around him right now. She didn't even want to think about breaking up with him. That was a mess she didn't want to deal with and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to. Caroline was used to having a boyfriend. Even when Klaus had banished him, she had still had one. Klaus was another problem she didn't want to think about. It had been awhile since she'd gotten a picture from him. He never had a regular pattern to it, but when more than a few days went by without one...she started worrying he'd gone off the deep end or worse. Klaus always lived in the deep end but when he plunged...she had to stop caring about what he was doing.

Caroline walked down the street, away from the Grill. Elena would come looking for her eventually, or maybe, by some miracle, she would actually find Tyler. She turned the corner and stopped at the sight of an all too familiar figure. Tyler. Talking to the _wereslut_ Hayley? Rage boiled in her stomach and Caroline took one step forward before careening to a halt. The wereslut was..._pregnant_? Even though she _knew_ it couldn't possibly be Tyler's, she still felt it like a blow. Who would have been moronic enough to get Hayley pregnant? Thank God there was no way it was her boyfriend. Caroline actually smiled as she resumed walking toward them. Tyler might annoy the crap out of her right now, but he was still _her_ boyfriend and pregnant or not, it bothered Hayley.

"Please tell me you're here on a quest to find out who's responsible for that, because I know it isn't _my_ boyfriend," Caroline said, tossing her head and linking her arm through Tyler's. Hayley's eyes narrowed and she retreated a step from Tyler.

"Rude much, Care?" Tyler said, disengaging her arm from his. Caroline's smile remained in place as she looked at Hayley. Hayley obviously wasn't one of those women who "glowed" with pregnancy. The wereslut looked nothing short of miserable, even though she was wearing a disgustingly cute maternity shirt. Caroline guessed she was maybe five or six months along, possibly longer. Her stomach had the distinctive baby curve to it, but it wasn't so large she looked like she was going to burst. It must have happened right around the last time anyone saw her in Mystic Falls. Doubt about Tyler's involvement trickled through her despite its being a total impossibility.

"It's all right, Ty. I have to get back before they start searching for me. You'll think about it?"

"I will." Relief flickered across Hayley's wan features, restoring some of her former prettiness and Caroline crossed her arms as Tyler embraced her, colliding awkwardly with the bump of her belly.

"Nice to see you again, Caroline," Hayley said as she drew away from Tyler. Caroline nodded. Something altered in Hayley's expression and her gaze flickered to Tyler, her mouth curving up at one corner before she turned away. Her gait was awkward as she got into a nearby car and drove off.

"You're not the father, are you?" Caroline rounded on Tyler.

"No. Even if I had slept with her, you know I can't."

"Just checking. Did she tell you who the father is?" Tyler stared at her for several moments and then a slow, cocky smile spread across his lips.

"Tell me!" Caroline punched him in the shoulder and for one crazy moment, things felt right between them again. As if Klaus had never separated them.

"I'm parched. Did you leave Elena inside?" Tyler side-stepped her and headed toward the Grill.

Caroline stood for a moment, her mouth hanging open, and then she chased after him.

"You're not getting away with not telling me. Or didn't she tell you?"

"Oh I know. Trust me, Care, you're going to want to be sitting down for this." Tyler looked back at her over his shoulder, the same cocky smile on his face before he sauntered into the Grill. Caroline knew Hayley's misfortune shouldn't make her happy, but this was the best piece of gossip she had heard in a long while. Some small part of her did feel sorry for the wereslut. Pregnancy was something she no longer had to worry about for herself, but she wasn't so removed from her humanity that she didn't remember the fear. Especially if the father was a loser. She didn't doubt he was. He'd slept with Hayley after all. Hurrying after Tyler into the Grill, Caroline wove her way through the crowded restaurant and slid into the booth next to him. He was already downing what was left of her drink.

"Phone," Elena said, plopping her phone back into her outstretched hand. She caught Caroline's gaze and held it, a strange look in her eyes and Caroline's brows drew together.

"Did he tell you?"

"Hayley's pregnant. His lips are sealed about the father. I don't know why we're supposed to care." Elena gestured with her straw while Tyler smiled that same cocky smile that Caroline no longer found intriguing or cute.

"You care. We all care." He mimicked her gesture with his own straw while Caroline snorted.

"We won't know until you tell us. Come on, Tyler, who is it?" Tyler played with the straw in his fingers, clearly savoring the moment. Caroline was about to shove him when he said,

"Klaus."

"What? You're joking." Droplets flew from Elena's straw as she gestured with it again and Tyler nodded. Caroline went utterly still. Her vision had gone completely hazy. She wasn't aware of anything, not Tyler's arm brushing against hers, not Elena and her droplets, not the constant murmur of conversation from the Grill's patrons. Tyler shook his head.

"Hayley swears he's the father."

"But vampires can't procreate."

"Werewolves can. I guess hybrids can too. Hayley said something about nature restoring the balance. There can't just be one of him. So now we get to have a miniature Klaus running around torturing us."

"You're serious." Part of Caroline was infinitely grateful to Elena for carrying the entire conversation. She was reacting with all the delighted horror she should have been expressing herself. And she would have. If it had been anyone else. He hadn't told her. He swooped back into town at the last possible moment, decapitated dead witches with a graduation cap of all things, made some ridiculously romantic promise and not once did he mention anything about a _baby_. Unless he hadn't known then...but he knew now. If Hayley knew, Klaus knew, and he hadn't told her. He hadn't told her.

"Care? You don't have anything to say?" Tyler turned to her, his smile completely obnoxious and Caroline blinked, forcing herself to return to the situation.

"Klaus is the father of Hayley's baby. Shocker," she managed, rolling her eyes and reaching for what had been her drink before Tyler confiscated it. Something flickered in Elena's eyes and she covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders jerking as she suppressed a laugh. Caroline was still trying to process. _When_ had he even had time to sleep with Hayley? She supposed it was good that he'd finally gotten some action–realistically he couldn't pine for Caroline forever–but with her, of all people? He _knew_ how she felt about Hayley and he slept with _her_? Rage swirled in her stomach and she felt her eyes starting to vamp out before she suppressed it. It really wasn't her business who Klaus slept with, he was free to sleep with whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted, but did it have to be _Hayley?_

"You are awfully quiet, Caroline," Elena said. "I would have thought you of all people would have an opinion about this." Caroline reluctantly looked over at her so-called best friend, the gleam in her brown eyes too mischievous to be ignored. Elena's gaze slid to the phone still in Caroline's hand and back to hers and she arched her brows. _Oh my God._ Damn him. He'd sent something while Elena was babysitting her phone. Damn him.

"Why should I have an opinion about this?" Caroline narrowed her eyes at Elena and shook her head slightly. Elena smothered another giggle and slurped noisily from her drink.

"Weren't you buying into his whole undying love act?" Elena played with her straw and gave her the most innocent of glances. It took every ounce of Caroline's willpower not to reach across the table and strangle her. Beside her, Tyler was still practically bouncing with glee. She could feel it radiating off of him through his t-shirt and she contemplated strangling him too. If only the Grill wasn't so crowded...

"I wasn't buying into it exactly...he was...very convincing. It doesn't mean he's not in love with me."

Those words did not come out of her mouth. Tyler shifted so his arm was no longer brushing against hers. Elena paused in mid-drink, her gaze sliding between the two of them.

"What?" Tyler said.

"Well..." Caroline blinked and stared down at the table, the words leaving her all in one mad rush, "Did Hayley say that she was _dating _Klaus? I doubt it. The only way this could have happened is from a stupid one night stand that both of them probably regretted afterwards. It doesn't mean he doesn't love me." Her grip loosened on her phone and she smiled down at the table without her full awareness of it.

"And why is it so important to you that he still loves you, Care?" Tyler asked, his hands gripping the edge of their table so tightly his knuckles were a blazing white. Elena remained blessedly silent.

"His blood is the only cure for a werewolf bite. Damon's been bitten twice. So have I. Do you really want me to tell him he hasn't a chance in hell with me and lose our access to the cure forever?"

"Yes, I would actually." Tyler released his stranglehold on the edge of the table. "Only it isn't true. He has more than a chance with you."

"You've got to be kidding me." Caroline swirled her drink and stared down at the table.

"I know about the pictures, Care." Tyler leaned in closer to her and for the second time, Caroline went very still. Across from her, Elena looked like a child who had lost her favorite toy and she scowled down at her drink.

"You looked at my phone?!"

"Not the point, Caroline."

"When did you look at my phone?" Caroline waved the offending object in her hand while her mind raced to come up with any explanation for her cache of pictures from Klaus.

"Last week. You forgot it at my place, remember?"

"And you snooped through it?! God, Tyler!"

"Really, Care, if you're going to have a secret relationship, you should be more careful with your phone," Elena said.

"So not helping. Isn't there somewhere else you could be?" Elena smiled, flipped her hair and sauntered off to the other end of the Grill. Relief trickled through Caroline. She didn't think Tyler was going to listen to her any more than he would have if Elena was still sitting here, but not having her sarcastic eye rolls and straw swirling commentary would be less annoying, if not helpful.

"Why are you communicating with him, Caroline? And don't give me that crap about staying on his good side."

"What was I supposed to do, delete them? Not answer the phone even when he called at two in the morning and something was obviously wrong? He didn't have to let you come back to Mystic Falls, you know. He could have just let you wander around the world forever in constant fear of him like he did to Katherine, but he didn't."

"You don't owe him for that. _I_ don't owe him for that."

"I know we don't owe him anything, it's just...I don't have feelings for him." Tyler scoffed and Caroline touched his arm. It was rigid beneath her hand.

"I'm not in love with Klaus," she said. Tyler refused to look at her. "Maybe I don't hate him as much as I used to, but I love _you_, not him."

Tyler still wasn't looking at her and Caroline sighed.

"But...if I'm being honest...I like that he likes me."

"You what?'" He looked at her finally and Caroline counted that a small victory.

"Don't act so surprised, everyone likes it when someone has a crush on them. As long at that person isn't hideous or intellectually stunted. Don't tell me you don't like it that Hayley has a thing for you."

"Hayley isn't Klaus."

"Point taken. But Klaus is powerful. He's crazy but powerful. And sometimes...sometimes he _listens_ to me when he doesn't listen to anybody else, not even his siblings. That's hard to walk away from."

Tyler carefully and deliberately removed her hands from his arm and shook his head.

"Not buying it, Care. You like that he likes you, but not because it gives you power."

"I swear I don't have feelings for him."

"Then why did you look like someone had vervained you when I told you he was the father of Hayley's baby?"

"I don't care that he slept with Hayley. He can sleep with whoever he wants. I don't have a claim on him."

"You care. You're just afraid to admit it to yourself. Talk to me when you're ready to admit it."

"Tyler..."

He shook his head, avoiding her gaze as he gestured for her to let him out of the booth. Biting her lip, Caroline slid out so he could leave, her gaze never leaving the rigid line of his shoulders underneath his t-shirt. From the other end of the Grill, Elena watched Tyler's departure with eyes that widened with every passing second. Great. Just great. Tyler was convinced she had feelings for Klaus.

Whether or not she did was another point entirely, but it was something she didn't want to deal with right now and her stupid boyfriend was forcing her to. She sat back down in the booth and pushed her hair back from her forehead, covering her face with her hands.

She could deal with Tyler later. All he needed was some time to cool off. He'd been hanging onto her picture relationship with Klaus for a week now–confronting her about it was probably enough to satisfy him for awhile. There was probably at least one more screaming match in their future but she would deal with that when it happened. Right now she could only deal with one thing at a time. And that one thing was a certain hybrid who hadn't told her his biggest secret.

Caroline's hands fell from her face and she slid out of the booth a second time, her car keys appearing in her hand without her awareness of it. At the bar, Elena abruptly stopped charming the unfortunate male who had sat down next to her and darted after her.

"Caroline?! Caroline, where are you going?"

"Where do you think, Elena?" Elena's brows drew together and then she darted forward with vamp speed and seized Caroline by the arm and yanked her backwards.

"Don't go there, Caroline. I know you think it's a good idea but if he'd wanted you to know, he would have told you."

"I don't think it's a good idea and I _am_ going just so he can explain why he conveniently neglected to mention his impending fatherhood and then I fully intend on never speaking to him again."

"Oh my God. You really do care that he slept with her." Elena's hold on her arm lessened slightly but Caroline didn't attempt to draw away.

"I don't care. Why is everyone insisting that I care?! I just want to know why he didn't tell me."

"Maybe because you'd react like this."

"I'm reacting like this because he didn't tell me not because...I'm going, Elena. Don't try to stop me. And don't tell anyone where I am. Just don't." Caroline yanked her arm free, glared at Elena for at least five seconds and left the Grill. Unlocking her car, she got in and started driving before she changed her mind or someone showed up to vervain her and save her from herself.

This would go down in history as one of the stupidest things she had ever done but she couldn't stop herself. She was going to New Orleans and Klaus was going to give her answers. Whether he wanted to or not.

A/N: I own nothing. If I did, there would be no new love interest cast for Caroline in season 5 and I would spend all my efforts trying to figure out a way to get her over the Originals where she belongs. I will *try* to update this regularly. Hopefully I can finish it before either the Originals or TVD starts up again. Happy reading. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Caroline pushed send and leaned back in her chair. She was seated in the outdoor section of what she had guessed was one of Klaus's favorite cafe's. Her phone screen was dark and she expected it to stay that way. He'd come before he sent her a message. She guessed she had maybe five minutes before he descended on her and she still didn't have any idea what she was going to say to him. Fourteen hours in her car and she hadn't come up with anything she liked. It hadn't helped that she'd received at least one phone call on the hour every hour of her drive. Elena more than once, Damon a couple of times, probably at Elena's urging and even Stefan but she hadn't turned around like all of them expected her to. Tyler hadn't sent her so much as a text message. One of them had to have told him what she was doing. Either he didn't care or he was too mad to talk to her. Probably both.

She'd been an hour from New Orleans before she remembered she had no idea where to even start looking for Klaus when she got there. His sudden urgency to keep her from the city discouraged her from simply asking the locals where she could find him. Now that she was here, she was glad she had thought of a different plan. New Orleans was beautiful but there was some sort of…weird vibe about the place. It went beyond the usual myths attached to the city or the blatant presence of vampires she was still adjusting to. Something was off, something she couldn't put her finger on, but she could sense it all around her. Eventually she'd pulled over, searched through the pictures he'd sent her(tried not to get mad all over again that there hadn't been so much of a whisper about his baby or its mother), and decided on going to a café that had popped up in several of them. She'd had to ask if it was the right place though. From a local who looked at her like she had two heads but answered pleasantly enough when it became clear Caroline wasn't looking for an afternoon snack. She'd never been anywhere where there seemed to be a giant invisible beacon flashing "vampire" over her head like there was here. She didn't like it.

Caroline's fingers twitched for her phone but she resisted, sipping from the drink she'd felt obligated to buy in order to sit at one of the outdoor tables. She really should just let herself compel people into doing what she wanted, but it still all seemed wrong somehow. A shadow fell over her table and she stilled, her drink frozen in place in her straw. Five minutes. Tops. Her lips left the straw and she let herself look up.

Klaus stood on the opposite side of her table, barely suppressed rage radiating out from him so strongly he was practically shaking with it. It wasn't the maddest she'd ever seen him—but it was close. He looked the same—he was wearing his usual t-shirt and jacket, his beaded necklace and his facial hair was still in that odd combination of full-grown stubble he had perfected. He was the same and yet somehow different, like New Orleans was different, in ways she couldn't describe. Maybe it was his impending fatherhood(she didn't want it to be), maybe it was something else, but he was different. Altered subtly but enough that anyone who hadn't seen him in awhile would note the difference. He hadn't said a word yet. He just stood there staring—no—glowering at her and yet…despite her suspicion that a part of him wanted nothing more than to reach across the table, snap her neck, and drag her unconscious body back to Mystic Falls, there was the faintest flicker of happiness in his eyes at the sight of her. It was that flicker she started to smile back at before anger descended over his features like a curtain and he said,

"What part of 'don't come to New Orleans' didn't you understand?"

Caroline blinked and the moment vanished.

"All of it apparently."

Being flippant with Klaus was seldom a good idea. It was especially a bad idea when he was this angry but she had never been able to resist testing her limits with him. She saw no reason to start now.

"This is me asking nicely, Caroline. Why are you here?" He gripped the top of the chair across from her, his knuckles a blazing white. A self-controlled Klaus? She hadn't thought it was possible. She blinked again to stop herself from staring stupidly at his hands and answered,

"If you really want to know why I'm here, Klaus, you should just ask the wereslut."

All the color drained from his features and Caroline forever marveled that he didn't snap the chair in two.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The words escaped her in a whisper and she found she couldn't look at him directly anymore. He inhaled loudly and the chair wobbled as he released it and crossed over to stand beside her.

"Not here," he whispered in her ear, his gaze scanning their surroundings. Several of the café patrons looked away as his gaze hit them and his brows drew together. Caroline could feel every tiny metal circle of the café chair pressing against her skin through her clothes—she wasn't certain she was going to be able to move again. "Do exactly as I say," he whispered and straightened so his lips were no longer against her ear. She would have nodded except there was that whole not being able to move thing.

"I appreciate your coming all this way, Caroline, but next time a phone call really would suffice," Klaus said in a voice loud enough to be heard across the street.

"There won't be a next time." Something like hurt flickered in his eyes and then vanished.

"Then we have nothing left to say to each other, have we?"

He had hidden a baby from her. A _baby_. And now _he_ was playing the victim?! He really was unbelievable.

"No, I guess not."

She rose, remembering to swipe her phone from the table at the last moment before shoving it into her purse. Klaus stood in front of her, deliberately blocking her exit. There was a sense of veiled amusement about him—at her expense she guessed—underneath his outward show of anger. If there hadn't been so many people pretending not to watch them—was there really such a lack for entertainment in New Orleans that she and Klaus were the most interesting thing to watch?!—she would have given in to the temptation to shove him or stomp on his foot, anything to stop his mouth from twitching at the corners. She settled for pushing past him as roughly as he could—it didn't matter that he let her do it, it was still satisfying to see him stagger backwards with the force of it, even if it was only a step.

He followed her to her car, presumably to make certain she was really leaving and she got in reluctantly. After fourteen hours, she was sick of even the sight of her car. Klaus tapped on her window, polite as can be, and she started the ignition and rolled it down.

"What?"

He said nothing, his lips curving into his trademark insufferable smirk as he leaned over her and punched coordinates into her gps. As he finished, he turned on the radio and cranked the volume to an almost unbearable level.

"I'll be there in an hour. Maybe longer. There's something that requires my immediate attention."

Klaus leaned back out of the car and Caroline nodded, staring straight ahead. She didn't drive off. He stayed outside her car, studying her.

"I didn't know how to tell you, Caroline. So I opted not to." Caroline nodded, not certain she could speak even if she knew what to say to him.

"I'm sorry." She turned to look at him but he was gone, vanished with his vamp speed and she was left, staring into nothingness. Across the street she was aware of the continued interest of some of the café patrons and she drove off faster than was necessary, almost taking out a pedestrian as she did. This was by far the stupidest thing she had ever done. She should go home right now and forget she ever came here.

"Turn right at…." Her gps interrupted her thoughts and she obeyed it blindly. Stupid or not, she was here now and she wasn't leaving until she got some sort of explanation from him. Even though he'd already said the one thing she never expected to hear from him, of all people. He was sorry. She didn't think Klaus had ever been sorry for any of the millions of horrible things he had done over the centuries he'd been alive. But he was sorry he hadn't told her about Hayley? She wasn't certain what scared her more, that it actually was true, or how much she wanted it to be.

Klaus wove his way through the streets of New Orleans without seeing them, his feet taking him through the city he knew like the back of his hand while his mind worked furiously. He'd thought he'd recognized at least one of Marcel's lackeys in the café. Whenever he set foot outside his door, he was inevitably followed by one of them. His favorite spots in the city had long since been noted and someone was always in place in case he showed up. Marcel would know about Caroline's visit within the hour, if not sooner. Caroline. In New Orleans.

A small part of him was elated she was here, despite his forbidding her not to come. The air seemed fresher somehow, the sun brighter, and all those other ridiculously sappy things people claimed were altered when someone special was nearby. He felt it all. But he couldn't allow himself to feel it. So he buried it deep, so deep he shouldn't have been able to even remember its existence, and yet he still felt it. He tried and tried to shut away everything Caroline made him feel but he never succeeded. If only she'd come to him for a reason that wasn't Hayley.

His hands twitched at his sides with the desire to kill something—anything—but he kept walking, ducking into another side street in the attempt to lose the tail he was certain he had. Thinking Caroline would never find out had been foolish. Not planning for the eventuality that she would even more so. He'd wanted to keep Caroline separate from everything that was happening in New Orleans, Marcel, Hayley, the damn baby, until he had it under control. That plan had been Salvatorish in its conception and its execution and rightfully doomed for failure. He had no remaining option but to tell her as much of the truth as he dared and hope she was still speaking to him afterward.

Klaus turned onto one of the more busy streets, his eyes lighting up as he spotted what he was in search of: a busy sports bar. Ducking into the noisy restaurant, he positioned himself at the bar and scanned the room. Some of Marcel's spies were good at not being spotted, most of them were easy to pick out in a crowd. He saw neither, but was still glad for the protection of the noise at the bar as he pulled out his phone and dialed.

"Elijah? We have a problem."

Caroline sat on the steps of the deserted plantation manor, kicking at one of the cracks with her shoe. It was coming up on an hour and still no sign of Klaus. Her phone lay beside her but he hadn't sent her anything. She'd given in and texted Elena so someone knew she had at least made it to New Orleans. The plantation Klaus had sent her to was about thirty minutes outside of the city limits and as deserted as it could get. There was a for sale sign at the end of the drive, but it looked almost as ancient as the house itself and she wouldn't have been surprised if no one answered the phone number listed. The house was a faded white with ivy creeping all over its walls and shutters. She'd tried the door out of boredom but it was locked and Caroline drew the line at breaking and entering. One of the first floor windows had almost no glass left in it anyway so if she had really wanted to go inside, she could have. But vampire or no vampire, she still wasn't keen on exploring what could be a haunted manor by herself. With her luck, the ghosts would be the vampire hating kind and she would be in an even bigger mess than she already was. She should just go home and be done with it.

Air gusted next to her and not even the faintest bit of surprise trickled through her as Klaus sat down beside her on the stairs.

"How was I supposed to tell you, Caroline?" He clasped his hands together across his knees and stared out at the weed overridden lawn. All the anger seemed to have drained out of him and now he was simply weary. She opened her mouth but no words came out. "Was I to ruin my hero moment by confessing my dirty little secret? Would you have remembered that I saved Damon, without asking for anything in return, mind you, or allowed Tyler to come back to you if I had also mentioned the nasty joke nature played on me by making me a father? I think not." Her mouth continued opening and closing silently. She had no words for him.

"I don't want it." She couldn't help looking at him then and even if she had been able to speak, the mixture of agony and self-loathing in his expression would have stopped the words.

"Do you think less of me for it?" Caroline might as well have been a fish in an aquarium, she was so incapable of doing anything other than staring at him.

"I don't remember much about being human anymore. What I do recall…being a father was never among my life's ambitions. My own father treated me like the abomination he thought I was and I hated him for it."

"You're not your father." Words. She could still speak them. He almost—almost—laughed.

"Aren't I? I don't want this baby anymore than he wanted me. We either repeat the same mistakes our parents made in raising us, Caroline, or we rise above them and do better. I'll be no better than he was."

"You don't know that for certain."

"I do. I don't want to try not to." He sprang from the steps and walked away from her, his back completely rigid through the lines of his jacket. Caroline chewed on her lower lip.

"If you really feel this way about it, why didn't you just…kill Hayley or compel her into having an abortion?"

"Because bloody Elijah wouldn't let me." He whirled to face her, desperation and anger in his features and some part of her was strangely relieved. She didn't know what to think of a Klaus whose first reaction wasn't to kill or dagger someone who had displeased him. Killing would always be his first impulse, even if he learned to repress it. It was who he was. "Bekah wouldn't even be speaking to me if she hadn't latched onto this baby as her way to live out her twisted fantasy of having a real family. And then there's the witches and the balance of nature. I can't kill that baby or Hayley. No matter how much I want to."

He was saying horrible things. Horrible, horrible things. And yet Caroline actually felt bad for him. Klaus wasn't some stupid teenager who'd gotten caught in a bad situation because he didn't care about the consequences. He hadn't thought there would be consequences. Nature had never been fair to Klaus, from the moment he was born. For the first time since she had known him, she tried to imagine what it must be like for him, to be the only one of his kind. Tyler didn't entirely count—he was a manufactured hybrid, not a natural born one. Even as a vampire, she wasn't as alone as Klaus was. Was she actually trying to _understand_ him? This could not be happening.

"So what are you doing about it?" Her voice still sounded strange to her ears, as if it belonged to another person.

"I was keeping Hayley hidden away for her own protection. But in a moment of weakness, I let her have a reprieve and now the entire Mystic Falls contingent knows about my predicament.

"Why is it so important it stays a secret? It's not just that you're embarrassed."

"Did I say I was embarrassed?"

"Fine. Ashamed then.

"Perhaps I was trying to be a gentleman."

"A gentleman? You?" She laughed. Klaus arched his brows and returned to sit next to her on the stairs.

"What do I have to be ashamed of?"

"Klaus. You slept with Hayley. Hayley."

"Is that the only part that's bothering you?"

He hid it swiftly but she saw the hope flicker in his eyes before he banished it and she stared down at the crumbling steps. She still couldn't bring herself to tell him to give up his quest for her heart. Couldn't tell him there was no chance she would ever return his affections and he should just give up now and save them both the trouble. Because part of her didn't want him to stop trying. As annoying as his feelings were sometimes, she didn't want them to go away. He was permanently lodged in her consciousness, offering her something she couldn't completely say no to. Because someday...she wanted a reason to say yes. She couldn't say it to him. She couldn't even let him suspect it.

"Would you prefer I lived a monk-like existence, pining away for you the rest of my days?"

"No, you shouldn't. It's just...Hayley? Seriously?!" She looked at him and arched her brows with perfect indignation. Klaus stared at her and then the dangerous smile came out, the slow spreading one that frightened her more than his smirk.

"It was more about...opportunity."

"And that's supposed to make it all better? Please tell me alcohol was involved. And that it was dark." His smile only deepened.

"It meant nothing." Caroline arched her brows a second time and twisted her fingers together in her lap. "She means nothing to me."

"I know that."

"Then what are you doing here, Caroline? You could have yelled at me over the phone."

"You think this could have been anything other than a face to face conversation?" He'd gotten her to say she missed him once, over the safety of the phone, she wasn't going to say it when he was barely two feet away from her.

"I suppose not." He pressed his fingers together and let out a long breath. "If there was a way to undo it or change who it is...I would do it, without hesitation. But I can't. And now you have to live with it. As do I."

Part of her wanted to insist that it didn't matter to her–but she wouldn't have been sitting here next to him if it didn't. An insane, _insane_ desire to touch his arm seized her and her fingers actually twitched before she suppressed it.

"I keep trying to picture you holding a baby and I can't." He almost laughed again. The sound caught in his throat and his lips twisted into one of his smiles that wasn't quite a smile.

"Neither can I."

"You have to send me pictures. Otherwise I'll never really believe it."

"You're all right with me still sending them then?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She turned and looked at him as surprise flickered and then vanished in his eyes. Klaus shrugged and spread his hands to the side. "So you had something crappy happen to you. It is something crappy right? Friends don't stop talking to each other when something crappy happens. They talk more."

"So we are friends then?"

_Crap._ He was grinning at her. She'd forgotten about that little victory point. Stupid Hayley and her stupid baby for creating this whole mess.

"No." He arched his brows at her. "Maybe." He grinned down at his knees and she forgot herself and shoved him. Actual genuine laughter escaped him and she was reminded of the time he mocked her Miss Mystic application.

"Stop it. You drive for fourteen hours straight and see how much sense you make." She shoved him a second time as he continued to laugh at his knees.

"Caroline, as lovely as this has been, I need you to leave. Now."

"Did you not hear the fourteen hour straight part?" He nodded, his hands once again clasped together.

"I heard. But your appearance at the café did not go unnoticed and the...complications I spoke of can't know you're still here."

"Why? What's so complicated that I can't stay for one night?" He looked at her for several moments and sprang up from the stairs, striding several feet away and staring off into the distance. The rigid lines returned to his shoulders and Caroline fiddled with her fingers.

"Just tonight, I promise. Tomorrow morning I'll leave as early as you want, but I can't face another fourteen hours in that car. And no buying me a plane ticket and having one of your lackeys drive my car back for me. I'm not traveling again until tomorrow morning."

His back seemed more rigid with every passing second and then he pivoted on his heel to face her, one hand raised.

"Fine. One night." She clapped her hands together before she could stop herself. "If anyone asks, you're Elijah's clingy obsessed ex-girlfriend."

"I'm what?!" She leapt to her feet and crossed the distance between them before he could even blink. One of the many advantages to vamp speed.

"No one can know you're connected to me, love. You came to me first to test the waters with Elijah and I arranged a meeting between the two of them."

"Klaus, no one is going to believe I dated Elijah." She made a face. So Elijah wasn't exactly hard on the eyes, but he was Elena's Original to have a weird sort of vibe with, not hers. Elena would deny it of course, but he was. Caroline had barely ever been in the same room with Elijah and she was supposed to pretend to be his crazy ex girlfriend?!

"Then you'll just have to convince them." Klaus smiled the smile that was supposed to be charming at her and she glared at him. "Keys?" He extended his hand and she dazedly handed them over. Striding toward her car with entirely too much ownership, Klaus unlocked it and settled himself in the driver's seat. Caroline couldn't remember ever seeing him behind the wheel before. She hadn't even been certain he could drive. It was something she could have easily seen him as thinking beneath him. He wasn't supposed to surprise her.

"Are you coming, love?" He started the engine and grinned at her again. For one moment Caroline actually considered hitchhiking. But the plantation was on a deserted road and the chances of her ever seeing another car were pretty much slim to none and while vamp speed was good over short distances, it wasn't worth trying to get to the nearest town. This was never going to stop being the stupidest thing she had ever done.

Getting into the car, she buckled her seat belt–something told her she was going to need it more than usual. Klaus said nothing, his hands on the steering wheel.

"I broke up with him."

He nodded, his lips twitching.

"Whatever makes you feel better, Caroline."

"Just...shut up and drive."

Klaus grinned and complied.


	3. Chapter 3

The bar was more crowded than Caroline would have expected for the middle of the week. The clientele was also different from what she had expected: the vampiric majority in New Orleans continued to surprise and unsettle her. She was so used to having to pretend to be human the disregard the New Orleans vamps had for pretending astonished her. In the bar at least, she hadn't seen anyone drinking out in the open, but she'd passed a few occurrences on her way here that had made her gawk as conspicuously as the tourist she was. What was going on here? Klaus was acting weirder than usual, vamps almost outnumbered the humans on the streets, and the entire city seemed encased in an unexplained tension. It was more fascinating than any of her courses and she wished she could stay to figure out what was going on.

Flinging herself down at a nearby table, Caroline picked up one of the menus and studied it. She was supposed to meet Klaus and Elijah here but there wasn't an Original in sight. She'd talked Klaus into letting her buy a change of clothing. If she was supposed to be meeting her ex-boyfriend for a possible reconciliation, she couldn't show up in a wrinkled 14 hour drive outfit. He'd dropped her off at Canal Place, promising to be back in an hour while he stashed her car somewhere. No matter how much she questioned him, he wouldn't explain his excessive precautions. She'd managed to find an outfit that screamed "why did you let me break up with you," but it would be wasted on Elijah. Maybe not wasted on Klaus, but he'd sent a lackey to pick her up from shopping and it was the lackey who'd directed her to the bar. She was too tired to even contemplate driving home but she was still questioning herself for staying.

The guy by the bar's jukebox was still staring at her. She pretended to study her menu and watched him as he finally had the decency to look away. Young—but that meant nothing in a city crawling with vampires—he hadn't taken his eyes off her for very long since she entered. He was good looking in a rough sort of way with spiky brown hair and a nose that looked as if it had been broke more than once. Well muscled, he wore a leather jacket over a t-shirt and jeans. Several of the bar's patrons appeared to know him—he'd been greeted by name but she hadn't been able to hear it over the music—and yet he seemed intensely uncomfortable. He sipped at the drink in his hand, grimacing occasionally. Vamp, despite the broken nose. Either he was one of Klaus's lackeys sent to watch her or he was part of the reason why Klaus needed a fake explanation for her presence in New Orleans. His gaze met hers and she flashed him a brilliant smile. His drink sloshed all over his hand and he scowled and turned his back on her.

"Hello, Caroline."

She looked up, surprised and not surprised to see Elijah standing on the opposite side of the table, wearing a suit and as impeccably groomed as always. Klaus lurked behind him, his gaze routinely scanning the bar's inhabitants.

"Elijah."

The oldest remaining Original lowered himself into the seat across from her. There was an irritating gracefulness to his movements that went beyond his immortality. Elijah clasped his hands together across the table's surface, a lock of hair falling over his forehead.

"My brother informs me you've learned of our…predicament."

"Is that what we're calling it now?" She looked at Klaus, who smiled, and consulted the menu he confiscated from her fingers.

"Against my better judgment, I agreed to see you. It doesn't matter so much what we talk about so long as we are seen conversing together and it is awkward," Elijah continued. Caroline fidgeted in her chair.

"It's certainly awkward." Something like a smile flickered across Elijah's features. The effect was startling. She'd never seen him be anything but rigidly serious.

"I'll order some drinks, shall I? Alcohol can only improve this situation." Klaus returned the menu to its placeholder and sauntered off toward the bar. Irritation flickered in Elijah's eyes as he watched his brother leave and then he managed another smile for Caroline.

"How is everyone in Mystic Falls?" Caroline stared at him and then burst out laughing.

An hour later the three of them were still engaged in their ridiculous melodrama for the benefit of however many of Marcel's spies happened to be present. Klaus didn't bother to remember their faces—Marcel never sent the same ones in succession and he didn't need to recognize them to know they were employed by his former protégé. Marcel's minions always had an arrogant air about them, a certain swagger to their walk, the reactions of the people around them who knew who they were. They were never obvious about their spying but subtlety wasn't their strong point either. Klaus expected them to be wherever he was and planned accordingly. Whether or not Marcel believed what he chose to show him, he wasn't certain. Caroline's masquerade as Elijah's ex was going a little too swimmingly for his liking.

Anyone listening to their conversation might have been suspicious but from a distance they seemed like what they should have been, old friends catching up when their paths happened to cross. Caroline remembered to look affectionately at Elijah from time to time when she thought he wasn't looking—which only made Elijah glare at Klaus with waning patience. There was no reason to interpret it as anything other than what was being presented and yet he was still uneasy. Give Caroline too much importance to either him or Elijah and Marcel's suspicions would be aroused. He would have preferred her to spend the night in a hotel but if he sent a lackey to watch over her or worse, did the job himself, Marcel would know she was more than just an old acquaintance. Having her stay with him was his only option. This was not how he had imagined Caroline coming to New Orleans.

"I'll get us another round."

"Niklaus, don't you think…" Elijah half rose out of his chair. Klaus placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. Gently.

"One more round, Elijah, and you can have your freedom."

He smiled his most winning smile and headed for the bar before either of them could say another word in protest. Behind him someone had the brilliant idea to start a dance party. Even over the eruption of drunken cheers and the explosion of blaring music, he heard Caroline try to wheedle Elijah into going out on the floor with her. His dreary and always proper brother politely refused and she went on her own. Klaus made a mental note to remember how much alcohol loosened Caroline's inhibitions. Leaning up against the bar, he raised his hand for three more and turned so he could watch the dance floor. Caroline stood out like a flash of gold in the dim lighting of the bar, or maybe it was just his own perception. He was incapable of seeing other people when she was around.

"Who's the girl?" Cami. As if the day hadn't had enough complications. He leaned back against the bar on his elbows.

"Caroline. Elijah's ex." Cami snorted and started pouring out his order.

"She's not his ex."

"Of course she is."

"If she's anyone's ex, she's yours."

Cami tossed back a lock of hair and finished pouring out his drinks. Klaus sighed and turned his back on Caroline's antics. She was surrounded by a mixture of Marcel vamps, unaligned vamps, and some foolish humans too inebriated to care who they danced with.

"She's not my ex."

"Right."

Cami leaned her elbows on the bar and pointedly looked from the dancing Caroline to the bored Elijah, staring down at his phone screen without a care for what Caroline was doing.

"I swear to you, she and I have never dated." Klaus raised one hand in the air and pointed in Caroline's direction with the other.

"You don't have to have dated for her to be your ex. Everybody is someone's ex something. Ex-neighbor, ex-friend, ex-could-have-been-girlfriend. She's your ex. Whatever ex that is doesn't matter. She's still yours."

The smile faded from his lips and he glared at the blond bartender who always seemed to see everything about him he wanted most to keep hidden.

"You're different around her," Cami continued, tilting her head to one side. Klaus straightened, his mouth hardening into a thin line. Cami knew him well enough to recognize the darkness descending over his features as a danger sign, but she had the same recklessness as Caroline when it came to pushing him just beyond his limit. "You're lighter somehow. Less dark. Happy even."

"You're seeing something that isn't there."

"It's the hazard of being a psych major. So which is it? Neighbor, coworker, friend, could have been girlfriend? Which is she?"She pushed his drinks toward him, a slow persuasive smile stretching across her lips.

"None of the above. She can't stand me." He gathered up his drinks. Cami's gaze drifted over his shoulder and then returned to him.

"Then why is she doing such a horrible job of pretending she doesn't care about this conversation?" His brows drew together and he looked back over his shoulder so rapidly it should have given him whiplash. Caroline was actually still, due to a change in the music, and she looked away sheepishly before looking back at him and shrugging.

"You're wrong." Klaus managed the difficult feat of carrying three glasses at once and headed back through the crowd to their table. Cami watched him for a moment before returning her gaze to the watching Caroline. She smiled innocently back at Klaus's ex-whatever and moved farther down the bar to answer someone's order.

"I don't think so," she murmured.

Caroline wove her way through the crowded dance floor in synchronization with Klaus as he made his way back to their table. She was aware enough of her surroundings not to collide into anyone, but her gaze was on the blond bartender he had been talking to. He came here often, that was obvious. She supposed the bartender was pretty, in a doe-eyed wholesome sort of way. She was…untouched by the darkness that surrounded her. Caroline suspected she was aware of it, but maybe didn't have a name to put to it yet. It called out to her vampire nature to be corrupted as surely as her blood did. She was like…Elena before she turned, good in this utterly simplistic way that was irritatingly attractive. An unblemished soul.

Caroline couldn't determine if the bartender was interested in Klaus or not. She didn't know who he was, she was certain of that. To her he was probably just some guy who frequented her bar, all brooding and mysterious, but not necessarily dating material. And if she was interested in Klaus? Maybe he deserved to be with someone who didn't know all the darkness of his past, someone who could love him for the man he appeared to be without needing to know the rest. It was something Caroline could never do for him. She knew too many of the darker parts to forget them. But maybe that was what he needed now, even if he didn't realize it. It was entirely like waiting for her to decide Tyler wasn't the person she wanted to spend the rest of her immortality with and she didn't like it. She wasn't jealous…not exactly. She was just…sorry she couldn't be that for him. She was something else entirely.

Leaning over the railing to their table, she downed her drink and smiled as Klaus and Elijah stared at her as if they had never seen her before. Elijah stopped gaping at her, glanced at his brother, and drained the entire contents of his own drink.

"I fear I must depart. There are urgent matters I must attend to. Caroline, it was a pleasure." Elijah reached for her hand and she offered it, not certain who was more surprised, herself or Klaus when he kissed it. "I have a feeling this won't be our last meeting," he added as he released her.

Klaus scowled down at his glass. Elijah touched him briefly on the shoulder and straightened his suit jacket before heading for the exit. Three steps later, he turned around, his hands clasped together, a Klaus-like gleam in his eyes as he said, "Say hello to Elena for me."

"Didn't your dalliance with Katerina cure of you of that particular flirtation, brother?" Klaus asked, rolling the remaining liquid in his glass. Elijah actually smiled, that strange genuine smile that seemed so foreign on his face to Caroline.

"Elena is…special." Elijah's smile deepened and then he turned and exited the bar. Of course he was afflicted with Elena gene. Klaus was one of the few men Caroline had met who hadn't been infatuated with her at one time or another. She wasn't sure about Tyler. She'd never asked. Klaus was still staring off after Elijah and she tapped on the railing to get his attention.

"What's the deal with the bartender?"

"So many questions."

Klaus swirled the remnants of his drink.

"Friend? Acquaintance? Potential girlfriend?"

He was too far out of her reach for her to poke at him and so she pushed around the discarded napkins on their table instead. Klaus stared down at his empty glass as if it held the answer to all the questions in the world.

"She's just a bartender."

"Does this bartender have a name?"

Klaus looked up from his empty glass, beyond her at the entrance and his brow furrowed. Scanning the bar's inhabitants, the lines in his brow only deepened and Caroline copied him in searching the room. Creepy jukebox guy was gone, finally, and he was the only really suspicious person she had seen all night. At the entrance, a tall dark haired man was staring back at Klaus, dressed so similar to him in his jacket, t-shirt and jeans they could have been twins, if not for the hair. The man jerked his head at the street outside and disappeared through the door. Klaus's grip tightened on his glass to the point it was a miracle it didn't shatter in his hand. Setting it down on the table with a thunk that echoed even over the bar's music, Klaus straightened his jacket and scanned the bar a final time.

"I need to speak to someone for a moment. Don't talk to anyone and don't move."

He was gone before she could question him further, blending into the bar patrons until the only indication that he had been there at all was the swinging of the bar door as he exited. Alone, Caroline abruptly remembered that her purse was now unattended and hurried to reclaim their table. Relief coursed through her as she found it intact and she pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her messages. Tyler still hadn't called. He hadn't even sent her a text. Even Damon had called her once—probably at Elena's urging—but from her boyfriend there was still nothing. She'd expected him to be mad but not this mad. Maybe she should give in and call him. He probably wouldn't pick up but she could at least leave him a message.

"Excuse me. Are you here with Klaus Mikaelson?"

All thoughts of calling Tyler vanished as she looked up. Creepy jukebox guy. Great. She made the mistake of looking over her shoulder to see if Klaus had come back into the bar yet and then flashed the guy an innocent smile.

"I wouldn't say I'm with him exactly. I used to date his brother."

Creepy jukebox guy's expression didn't change and her smile faltered.

"I really should be going. If you're looking for Klaus, he stepped outside for a moment, but I'm sure he'll be back any second now."

She tried again but all he did was stare at her. Caroline stepped away from the table only to have him block her path. Up close he was even more muscled than he had been from a distance, they were straining against the cotton fabric of his t-shirt. He was also taller than she was by a good margin and had already proved he was as fast by stepping in front of her. There would be no getting away from him without making a scene.

"Look, I really think you have me mistaken for someone else." She tried the politeness route one more time but he just shook his head and seized her by the arm.

"No mistake. Marcel would like a word with you."

"Marcel?"

It was the last word she uttered before someone vervained her in the back. Caroline had lost count of how many times this had happened to her—she should have expected it the moment Klaus stepped outside of the bar. Her last thought before she succumbed to unconsciousness was that he was going to massacre anyone who harmed her. It pleased her more than it should have.

Major disclaimer: I have no idea how The Originals is really going to work or if any of the characters are going to turn out the way I portrayed them. I *think* Cami's going to be the new love interest for Klaus(which my entire being REJECTS)but who knows what the writers will do with her. Also if my bit with Elijah disappointed, I apologize. I know everyone loves him but writing him scared me. I apologize in advance for the Marcel part you can look forward to in the next chapter(almost completed, hopefully up by the end of the weekend depending on what happens in my life-long story-)as well. I also have no idea how they're going to characterize him. I read a quote from Julie Plec this week from Comic Con(so it's probably been out there for awhile and I just hadn't found it)that was encouraging(I thought)for Klaroline someday happening. She's talked to Joseph AND Candice about how it could happen. That has to mean it actually could, right? Thanks for all the reviews and the favorites/follows. I love seeing them in my notifications. :)


	4. Chapter 4

Plush red carpet swirled into view as Caroline opened her eyes some indeterminate amount of time since she was snatched from the bar. She tried to move her hands and winced as ropes burned and hissed against her skin. Vervain. Of course. This would teach her to get out of the habit of immunizing herself while at college. It hadn't seemed necessary. Blowing her hair out of her face, she found she was tied in a large armchair. Her ankles were also secured with vervained ropes—she tested them and received the same dose of pain. Perfect. Given enough time, she might be able to work her way out of them. A positive side effect of always being captured and tortured: she had developed a high tolerance for pain. She tested her bonds a second time and grimaced as the ropes sizzled.

To her left was a king size bed, freshly made, paired with a nightstand and a flashing alarm clock. On the other side was another nightstand and across from her was a giant cabinet with a television inside. A hotel. She was at a hotel. Through the open window she could hear the sounds of New Orleans, cars passing by, muted conversations, the occasional scream. What was it with this city?!

At her right, a door opened and she recognized the figure that stepped through as the creepy jukebox guy. His jacket was gone and he was all muscle as he saw that she was awake. Gesturing to someone behind him, he blocked the doorway(as if she could have made it past him even if she wasn't tied up)until another figure approached. Stepping aside, creepy jukebox guy disappeared back through the door, leaving Caroline alone with the new arrival.

The man Caroline was now alone with exuded charm but she was instantly uneasy in his presence. He was too like…too like Klaus when he was in a foul temper. The man in front of her wasn't displeased but he was coiled to strike if she did anything he didn't like. Of the same height as Klaus, his hair was short, black and he was bearded. Again the resemblance to Klaus struck her. They were similar and yet somehow different. As if the man in front of her had taken all the qualities of Klaus he liked most and shaped them to fit himself. His gaze traveled over her disheveled appearance and lingered on the ropes securing her to the chair. Walking forward, he stopped a few feet in front of her and crossed his arms.

"You must be Caroline. I apologize for the way you were brought here. I was told you might be…uncooperative." Caroline said nothing, watching him as he circled her chair and then came back to stand in front of her. They hadn't gagged her at least. But in New Orleans, who would think anything if they heard her scream?

"I'm Marcel." He said this as if he expected it to have some great meaning for her and when she continued to look at him blankly he took a step toward her and added, "Surely Niklaus mentioned me."

"No, he didn't."

She found her voice again, pleased when irritation flickered across his face at her announcement. This man was the reason Klaus had wanted her to pretend to be Elijah's girlfriend, to not make her presence in New Orleans known. She realized this now but she still didn't know why. Who was he? She didn't doubt his ego would keep him from telling her for very long.

"Well, I'm hurt. After all our years of friendship, he didn't even mention me to his…what is it you are to him exactly, Caroline?"

"Nothing. I dated Elijah for awhile but it didn't work out."

"Elijah? And you?"

He collapsed into laughter and Caroline was starting to get irritated that everyone thought it was so ridiculous. Granted, Elijah was a little stuffy and proper for her tastes but she was beautiful and that was usually enough for most men. Marcel recovered from his laughing fit and approached her chair, resting his hands against the arms and leaning forward so his face was mere inches from hers.

"I've seen the type of women Elijah goes for and you, my lovely, aren't one of them. Why don't you try again?"

"I told you, I'm Elijah's ex. I can't stand Klaus."

"Now that I almost believe." Marcel released his hold on the chair and went in search of one of his own. Pulling over the desk chair, he straddled it and leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "But if you really can't stand Niklaus, why did you come to see him in my city?"

"Your city?"

"I own this town, if not by name, by reputation. No one comes and goes here without my knowledge or my permission. No one of a…particular persuasion that is." He smiled to himself and Caroline recoiled in her chair, setting off her bonds again.

"You're a vampire." She stated the obvious. She was going to enjoy watching Klaus rip out his heart when he found her. There was something decidedly unpleasant about Marcel, despite his flawless manners.

"As are you. Now why did you come to see Niklaus?"

"I didn't come to see him. I wanted to see if Elijah wanted to get back together."

"So you met with Niklaus first? Don't pretend you didn't, I have witnesses who saw the two of you together at the café."

He smiled in a way that was meant to be persuasive and Caroline took a breath and studied him for several moments. She wasn't sure how to play this. He was after something—she didn't think it was just how she knew Klaus, but something else. Next time Klaus had some big mysterious reason for keeping her a secret she was going to demand he tell her what it was. Knowing would have made this a lot easier. She shrugged and answered,

"I wanted to test the waters. Elijah and I didn't exactly end things on the best of terms and I wanted to find out if he would even see me. And I knew Klaus wouldn't turn down the opportunity to ridicule me for it." Marcel nodded as if he was taking her seriously and drummed his fingertips against his chin.

"Why not meet with Rebekah?"

"Rebekah?"

Caroline hoped there was more confusion than revulsion in her tone. After hearing Matt's assuredly revised version of their summer together, she wasn't any more fond of the blonde Original than she had been before. Marcel placed a hand over his heart in exaggerated shock.

"Are you trying to tell me that, you, Elijah's ex-girlfriend, don't know his sister?"

"Of course I know her. It doesn't mean I'd go to her for help."

She strained against her bonds despite the inevitable hissing. Verbally sparring with him was tiring. Marcel watched her, his hand slipping from his chest as a slow smile spread across his lips. Caroline stared at him. The similarities really were frightening. On Klaus it was reluctantly charming…or maybe it was just reluctantly charming now that she was used to him. She didn't remember ever being so creeped out by his smile. Alarmed maybe but not…Marcel filled her with a chill she hadn't felt since becoming a vampire. As if aware of her thoughts, his smile deepened and he reached into his pocket and pulled out her phone. She was doomed.

"I took the liberty of looking through your phone. I hope you don't mind."

"And if I do?" He ignored her as he started scrolling through her pictures. Caroline closed her eyes and took a long breath before opening them.

"Seems there are an awful lot of pictures from someone you claim not to stand. I've never had a sibling. But I have people who I've considered as close as family. Never kept in contact with their ex's though. Unless I had something going on with them myself."

"There's nothing going on."

Marcel arched a brow, found the photo he was looking for and made as if to hold the phone up for her to see when the door burst open, breaking off its hinges and collapsing to the floor. Marcel rose from his chair with the slow grace of a predator stalking its prey and Caroline put off looking to see which Original had come to her rescue for as long as possible. Klaus was committed enough to the charade to send Elijah. But it was the hybrid who stood in the shattered doorway, his head down, his eyes filled with a rage she recognized and was certain was partly aimed at her for being stupid enough to get caught. Anger radiated out from his every pore. She had never known anyone who so personified contained rage. His displeasure filled the room, merging with the previously existing tension to a point that was nearly unbearable. Klaus took two steps into the room, spaced his feet perfectly apart and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Marcel." The word fell like a blow but Caroline's captor didn't even wince. Instead he flashed the smile she was starting to hate and extended his arms as if to embrace Klaus.

"Niklaus. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Klaus's cheek jerked and his gaze slid to the captive Caroline before returning to Marcel.

"Taking someone under my protection violates the terms of our agreement."

"Oh? She is under your protection then? I was under the impression it was Elijah's." Marcel tapped Caroline's phone against his lips and she vowed to trade it in the moment she got home.

"Anyone under my family's protection was the exact wording, was it not? Last I checked Elijah was still my family." Klaus shifted his stance slightly.

"So I violated our treaty. What do you plan to do about it?" Marcel stretched his hands out to either side, still holding Caroline's phone. One corner of Klaus's mouth raised and he took a careful step toward him.

"I'd like to rip your heart from your chest but that would violate our agreement. Since I'm a man of my word, I'll settle for taking Caroline."

"So much trouble over Elijah's ex. I could just stake her now and save us both any more trouble."

"I wouldn't."

Klaus and Marcel stared at each other for several moments. They were the same height but the magnitude of Klaus's anger gave the impression of him looming over the other man. Marcel's brows drew together and he held up his hands.

"Fine. Fine. I won't stake her. Out of respect for our lost friendship. But before I let her go, tell me. Is she the secret you've been hiding?" Relief flickered in Klaus's eyes and then vanished.

"No." Marcel's gaze searched his, dubiousness creeping into his expression. Caroline fidgeted in her chair. The ropes had loosened a little but not enough that she could free herself.

"Then what is she doing here? And don't tell me it's for Elijah. He doesn't have time for any girl that isn't a Petrovan." Marcel crossed his arms and waited. Klaus's gaze found Caroline's and she stared back at him helplessly.

'Elijah might prefer those of the Petrovan line, but even he has his weak moments."

"Why does everyone think it's impossible Elijah liked me? He didn't try to kill me three times or banish my boyfriend."

Marcel revolved to face her, his eyes wide, and for the first time she thought she had actually surprised him. Over his shoulder, Klaus's expression was similarly startled before it vanished under his usual mask of impartiality.

"Collateral damage, love." The smirk emerged and she wished her ropes would weaken faster so she could throttle him.

"Collateral damage?" She repeated. Klaus shrugged. "Even the third time?" His expression changed and she cursed herself for bringing it up.

"That had everything to do with Tyler and nothing to do with you. And the fact that you lot had killed my brother in front of me to even the score."

"Kol didn't come close to evening the score. Did I mention he killed my boyfriend's mother?" This purely for Marcel's benefit as he watched the two of them in a mixture of amusement and astonishment.

"He killed your boyfriend's mother, tried to kill you three times, and banished your boyfriend?" Marcel gestured from Klaus to Caroline, his brows arched.

"Yes. Which is why it's ridiculous to think I would ever have something going on with someone who did all that to me." She ignored the hurt that flickered across Klaus's features and prayed he would forgive her for it later. Marcel was too busy staring at her to notice—or so she hoped.

"But your phone…" Marcel waved the offending object in front of her and Caroline resolved to never let it out of her sight again. Klaus snatched it out of his hands and it vanished into his jacket pocket. Placing a hand on Marcel's shoulder, he glanced at Caroline and said,

"You see why Elijah was reluctant to talk to her again. He asked me to run interception. Caroline's had a…difficult time letting go. Her other boyfriends…just aren't at the same level as my brother and she's never gotten over it."

"You are unbelievable. My ex was good enough for your sister." Klaus glared at her over Marcel's shoulder as it shook with laughter.

"Bekah's taste in men is negotiable. She had an extended flirtation with you, did she not?" Klaus's hand slipped from Marcel's shoulder.

"At your urging," Marcel retorted, rotating his shoulder and retreating a step. Klaus smiled and Caroline worked a little harder at her bonds, ignoring the pain. "You still haven't given me a believable reason for her being here."

"Marcel, Marcel, does it really matter why she's here? I've told you she's not my big secret and she's certainly proven I don't mean anything to her." Caroline froze, the loosening ropes forgotten as she met his gaze. Klaus's mouth tightened and he continued, "Like my sister, Caroline still longs for the human experience. College hasn't turned out the way she expected and she's falling back on the familiar to feel better. We're all guilty of doing the same from time to time. But you can't bring back the past."

Marcel looked from Klaus to Caroline, skepticism written in his expression.

"It's true. The whole college thing," she added when the silence stretched on for too long.

Exasperation gleamed in Klaus's eyes and she resisted sticking her tongue out at him. Her ropes were loosening nicely now…she almost didn't feel the stinging against her skin. Marcel's gaze continued to flicker between the two of them and then he smiled, a flash of bright white in his dark face.

"All right, I'll play along. The two of you mean nothing to each other."

"Absolutely nothing," Klaus affirmed.

Caroline glared at Klaus as Marcel moved forward to untie her but his eyes had gone completely blank. There was no emotion in them, even his anger was gone. She couldn't bear it if this stupid episode with Marcel shut him off from her. Marcel finished untying the bonds around her ankles and her wrists but he rested his hands against the arms of her chair, barring her from getting up. Caroline rubbed at her wrists and tried to ignore him. Marcel's teeth flashed again and he glanced over his shoulder at the watching Klaus.

"I apologize for my lack of hospitality, Caroline. You'll notice I added myself to your contacts. Next time you visit my city, let me know beforehand and I'll give you a welcome fit for a queen."

"Thank you, but there won't be a next time." She avoided looking at Klaus as hurt invaded his features at her insistence on not returning to New Orleans(he could still feel something at least) and ceased rubbing at her wrists. Marcel released the arms of her chair and stepped back. Caroline rose from the chair, slowly, and moved toward Klaus. Arms crossed, he kept his gaze on Marcel, who watched him in turn. Caroline drew abreast of Klaus, took two steps toward the door before she realized he wasn't following her and retreated to stand next to him.

"Klaus?"

If Marcel hadn't been watching, she would have touched his arm, but she didn't dare. Something passed between Klaus and Marcel and then he pivoted on his heel and stormed out of the hotel room. Caroline's jaw dropped and she scurried after him, Marcel's laughter echoing behind her.

Klaus said nothing the entire walk to the elevators. He was silent throughout the elevator ride down to the lobby. He still hadn't spoken a single word when he strode out of the lobby onto the streets of New Orleans. Caroline followed him, a thousand words on the tip of her tongue and yet she couldn't utter any of them. He was walking so fast she almost lost sight of him as he turned a corner and she gasped as she was suddenly yanked around it and pulled back into an alley. Klaus's hand clamped down over her mouth before she could say another word and she stood there, glaring at him mutely as he listened for something only he could hear. After a moment, she heard it too, slow deliberate footsteps walking past the alley. One of Marcel's lackeys. Seriously?! Klaus waited several minutes longer and then carefully removed his hand from her mouth. He backed away from her, still not saying anything, and Caroline just stared at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," she said at last. Klaus nodded.

"Now do you see why I didn't want you to come New Orleans?"

"Yes. And no. What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That...thing with Marcel. Who is he? Why does he..."

His hand descended over her mouth again and she wished biting him to get him to stop wasn't completely out of the question. Several even longer minutes passed before his hand drifted up and away from her mouth and Caroline crossed her arms and simply glared at him. Klaus sighed, looked over his shoulder and leaned in closer, resting one hand against the wall behind her.

"Marcel is many things, not the least of which is my former protégé who somehow got it into his head he can rule the kingdom that was left in his care. That is all I can tell you."

"Why don't you just kill him?"

"Because he's almost as difficult to kill as I am." He smiled, almost without thinking and Caroline rolled her eyes and shifted slightly against the wall.

"But you will tell me the rest. Someday. When we're not dodging your former lackey's lackeys and your secret doesn't need to be kept secret anymore."

"You really think there will be a day when both of those conditions are true?" There was naked hope in his eyes and the sight of it frightened her more than she would have thought possible. Caroline shrugged.

"Well...either you'll kill him or he'll kill you and we'll both be dead and it won't matter any more. Or you'll find a better truce than the one you seem to have in place now. And the secret...is going to outgrow its secrecy at some point. So...you will tell me?" His hand left the wall and he retreated a step away from her, his gaze flickering to the street.

"I make no promises, Caroline, but I hope to one day be able to explain everything to you." His mouth quirked as if to smile and the tension drained out of his shoulders as his stance relaxed. Caroline let her arms fall to her sides and blurted,

"I want to be here when it happens."

"Out of the question."

"Why? You're going to need friends around you and you don't have that many. And don't say Elijah and Rebekah will be enough. Their agendas aren't the same as yours."

"And yours is?"

"I don't have one where your secret is concerned."

He tilted his head to one side and stared at her for several moments. Caroline didn't flinch or look away. She didn't have an agenda about his against the rules of nature baby. If anything she wanted to pretend it didn't exist just as much as he did.

"I'll just come on my own even if you say no. And then I'll have to tell Marcel and he'll want to know why I'm back in New Orleans and I just might have to tell him the truth."

"Fine."

"What?"

"You can come but I'll make all the arrangements."

"Fine."

They stared at each other for several moments, nothing but the sounds of the streets of New Orleans between them and Caroline wondered yet again what she was actually doing here. She wasn't supposed to care about _Klaus_ but here she was, convincing him to let her be with him when his baby was born. His baby. This was not what her life was supposed to be. She was supposed to be having the time of her life in college, with Tyler, not in New Orleans entangling herself up in the twisted web that was Klaus.

"Can we go wherever it is I'm staying tonight? I'm tired and I just want to sit and pretend none of this ever happened."

Klaus arched a brow, his lips twitching, and he half-bowed, gesturing toward the ever busy streets of New Orleans.

"Not all of it, I hope," he said as she passed him. Caroline sighed and came to a halt.

"No, not all of it."

Klaus smiled.

A/N: I know the update took a lot longer than I originally hoped. And that's it for this part of the adventure. I have one more story planned about the baby and then I think I have to let poor Klaus and Caroline go. The Originals will completely trample over everything I have planned anyway. It already has. I know the actor's other commitments is partially why Klaus did what he did to poor Elijah but it was still sad. And no phone call to Caroline. If The Originals acts like she doesn't exist, I'm going to be so disappointed. Thanks again for reading and I hope everyone enjoys it. I think I had a good enough take on Marcel after watching the first episode of TO tonight, so I'm pleased with that. :)


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